20 mobile savers, 'grab the last 4.5%+ savings fix this year', £55 off groceries, Fix mortgage now?, Amazon £5 off

Plus... Martin's 5 life lessons, easy free £30, £4,000/yr for disabled/ill pensioners, six FREE £175+

                                                           

20 January 2026 | View in browser

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THE TOP TIPS IN THIS EMAIL Martin's Mobile Masterclass: 21 must-knows, incl... - Cut Sim costs, eg, 35GB data £3/mth - Cheapest handsets - Slash mobile insurance costs - How to protect your phone & data 'Grab the last 4.5%+ savings fix this year' £4,000/yr help for ill/disabled pensioners £55 off Asda groceries code FREE £30 just for spending £5 3.5% mortgages - lock in now or wait? Martin: '5 life lessons I wish I'd been told' Amazon 1-tap check for £5 off £15+ 'I've made £4k bank switching' - 6 pay FREE £175+ £63 summer bulb bundle £12 delivered Video: 'Martin, prioritise Will / PoA or pension / tax?' New. 300Mb fibre + Sky TV £34/mth Employee? Check tax code NOW Martin pod: Tax help special Question pod: I'm debt-free, what now? Ends Fri. Lego codes, eg £10 off £50 Vision Express 25% off contacts / specs Martin: 'In a functional debt relationship?' £176 beauty £55: Elemis, Color Wow, etc New Water Ombudsman/regulator, but... Poll: Have you haggled in last 6mths? The Big Energy Switch is coming back  This week's best buys: 36mth 0% debt shift, 5.7% loan & more Money Moral Dilemma: Should I lend £20k to my in-debt in-laws? BEST BUYS & TOOLS MSE Cheap Mobile Finder Credit Club including free credit report 0% balance transfers Compare broadband deals MSE Compare+ Car Insurance Best bank accounts Top savings accounts Credit cards for bad credit Credit Card Eligibility Calculator Loans Eligibility Calculator Mortgage comparison Compare travel money Cheap Energy Club Best Sim-only deals

Martin's Mobile Masterclass 21 mobile phone must-knows to slash data & insurance costs, deter thieves & safeguard personal data  Eg, switch to a 35GB Sim at £3/mth, including EU roaming It's time for a mobile masterclass (even though I'm typing this at my desk), as over 14m are out of contract, many of whom are overpaying £100s a year - and even more if you factor in mobile insurance. And while our handsets may have protective cases, fewer people take the same care with what's inside it – from banking apps and saved logins to irreplaceable photos. Yet the ONS says over 200 phones a day are snatched (in 2024, the latest figures).  Jump to: Slash mobile costs | Cheapest handsets | Slash mobile insurance costs | How to protect your phone & data. Let me talk you through it. Tonight (Tue) 7.15pm or after on ITVX ITV The Martin Lewis Money Show LIVE It's our new series, with a new earlier 7.15pm start time. So don't miss it - I'll talk you through all you need to know to make it easy to save £100s on your mobile bill and stay safe. Plus, far more in news you can use. Now let me take you through the 21 need-to-knows (and as today, Tue, is my show prep day, the team will update with last-min best-buys for me) Slash your mobile's cost (& cheap new phones) 1. Just five digits tells you if you're out of contract - to see if you're free to switch & save. Text 'INFO' for free to 85075. It's an Ofcom-required service that firms must then tell you if you're out of contract. You're looking to see something along the lines of 'a £0 early termination/cancellation charge' to find out if you're free to move. - With Three, Smarty or iD Mobile? You need to reply with your date of birth to prove ID. - On a multiple-phone contract? It won't work, but if you've been with the same provider for more than two years, you're likely out of contract - do check though.  2. Out of contract? Ditch, switch & save.  35GB data, unlimited UK calls & texts & free EU roaming £3/mth. While those who stick with one firm have seen big year-on-year inflation increases, at the same time the cost of Sim-only deals has plummeted. Our Cheap Sim Finder will find you top deals, here's some examples... All these include free EU roaming...  - Lebara (on Vodafone's signal): 5GB '£2.68/mth' | 35GB '£3.47/mth' | 100GB '£6.30/mth' - iD Mobile (on Three's signal) 50GB/mth '£3.80/mth' | 120GB/mth '£6.21/mth' Not sure how much data you use? Try our Data Calc. Angela emailed us: "I switched to Lebara through your site, saving £27/mth for 7mths, followed by £23/mth - that's £304 this year. On top of that, I've now got 5G coverage, plus much cheaper roaming when I go on holiday! Thank you, MSE, this has made a noticeable difference!" Why are the savings so big for some? Its oft due to dodgy practice... People are often shocked by the huge savings reported here and on my TV show on mobiles. Yet it's often as they've fallen for the same catch, and it's one everyone needs be aware of (check on vulnerable people you know, too). Many sign up to an all-in-one handset and tariff deal at, say, £30/mth. Yet once the contract ends and the handset's cost is repaid, some firms disgracefully don't drop the cost. So you pay the same amount each month, even though the vast bulk of the cost was handset repayment. It should be banned. It isn't. While this doesn't happen with the big networks direct, it's most common if you get one of the big network's deals via a reseller (ie not direct) which is often far cheaper during the contract, but clearly far more after it. So we must self-police. They will always send you an out-of-contract notification - check then. 3. 'I can't switch because I'm worried about losing my signal?' Don't be, you can switch on the same signal... It's always worth checking Ofcom's MapMyMobile to see signal strength where you live, but then do understand there are only actually four Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) in the UK: EE, O2, Vodafone and Three... and the last two are merging and have started sharing masts. Every other provider is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) that pays to piggyback on the MNOs' signal... So even if you live in a place where you can only get decent coverage with one network, say O2, you're not stuck with it - just use a piggyback provider with the same signal. Our Cheap Mobile Finder will find the cheapest deal on your current signal.  - Any negatives of using piggyback networks (MVNOs)? Customer service may be different, as can features (eg, 5G, Wi-Fi calling, voicemail). There may also be some differences in reception or internet speed, yet overall, research shows there are usually only subtle differences in performance, which most people won't notice. Kat emailed: "I found myself out of O2 contract, contacted them for a better deal but they only offered a few pounds off. I followed your advice on deals with piggyback networks, saving over £30/mth [saving £360/yr]" - I really don't want to move network? If you're really wedded to one, and you're out of contract, benchmark the best deals from our comparison and use our how to haggle down your mobile bill guide to ask them to beat or match your bill. 4. To keep your number when switching, text 'PAC' to 65075. Then you get a 'Porting Authorisation Code' you can send to your new provider, which'll transfer your number over, usually in one working day. Sneak-attack tip: If you're feeling like sticking with your existing provider... You could just shortcut and text PAC to 65075. As it's telling them you're leaving, you'd be surprised how many people then get an improved deal offer from them in reply. It may work, it may not. But it's a speedy help! 5. With Sky Mobile? Right now you can ditch and switch even if you're mid-contract. Most customers, even in contract, will have just been notified that your price will rise, usually by £1.50/mth from 14 Feb. Yet the rules say you've got 30 days from being notified to leave the contract penalty-free. So it's the perfect time to check if you're overpaying, see our Sky Mobile ditch, switch (or haggle) help. 6. Don't believe "O2 is the only network giving free EU roaming so I can't switch". I hear this a lot, and while it's true that O2 is free whereas Vodafone, Three and EE all now charge £2ish/day to use your phone & data package in the EU, look beyond the 'big four' and many MVNOs do it, including Lebara, Smarty and Giffgaff. Again, our Sim comparison includes this info.  7. Roaming outside the EU? There's an eSIMple way to cut costs. Your home network could charge up to £15/day just to use your data allowance. Instead, buy a cheap international eSim online (eg, £11 for 10GB of USA data that lasts 30 days). There's no physical change to your handset, it just adjusts your phone's settings and temporarily routes it via another provider to give you a data allowance overseas. Prices differ based on your destination, trip length & data. Compare a few, eg, Airalo* | Breeze* | EasySim* | Firsty* | GoMoWorld | Holafly | Nomad | Saily*. See our eSim guide for much more info. 8. Need a new handset, be it iPhone, Samsung or owt else? Use our tool to find the hottest deals... It's usually far cheaper to stick with your current phone and just change Sim, but if you're looking for a new handset, we've top models below, or use our Handset Finder for top deals on other models: - iPhone 17 (256GB): 10GB/mth of data, equiv £36.12/mth over 2yrs - iPhone 16 (128GB): 10GB/mth of data, equiv £30.04/mth over 2yrs - iPhone 15 (128GB): 100GB/mth of data, equiv £26.79/mth over 2yrs - Samsung S25 (256GB): 10GB/mth of data, equiv £27.62/mth over 2yrs - Samsung S24 (128GB): 100GB/mth of data, equiv £26.21/mth over 2yrs 9. Or forget a new phone - many can save £100s on a refurb. Top-grade refurbished models are often just unused handsets that have been returned from customers who've changed their mind, but they can be far cheaper than buying new, eg: - iPhone 14 (released 2022), 'good' condition: £267 - Samsung S23 (released 2023), 'good' condition: £225 - Google Pixel 8 (released 2023), 'good' condition: £190 Stock's often limited, so it's best to head to our handset comparison tool, which lets you filter on refurbished phones so you can compare refurbs against new phones to find the cheapest way to get one. 10. Got an unused old mobile sitting in a drawer? Flog it... There are a few options when it comes to Selling your old mobile, and it's good to ensure the tech's used, not dumped.  - Want a quick, hassle-free sale? Try specialist sites where you just tell them your phone and get a price (subject to it being in the condition you said it is), eg £191 for a working 128GB iPhone 13. Try SellMyMobile* | CompareMyMobile* | Compare&Recycle. More on how best to work this in our speedily compare to find the top payer help. - Upgrading to Apple or Samsung? Both offer trade-ins for money off a new phone. Samsung, for example, offers £200 off for a working Galaxy S23, and Apple offers £150 for a working 128GB iPhone 13. - Max cash for more effort. If you're prepared to put in a little more effort and flog your handset yourself, you can quite often get a better price on eBay*. See our eBay selling tricks. - Flog your empty mobile phone box too. Flog your tech leftovers online, eg, iPhone 16 Pro boxes can sell for up to £16. Don't forget to first safeguard your photos, videos, contacts and other important data before you send your phone away. See before you sell tips. 11. Ensure you're always able to access the best deals on your mobile. Slightly cheeky, I know, but as we're talking mobiles just a suggestion to ensure you've downloaded the MSE App available on Apple or Android - including extra tools not on the website, auto-log-in to our tools like Cheap Energy Club and Credit Club, the ability to save articles and more.  Now, slash handset insurance costs too... There are lots of way to do this including for free, if you're willing to switch bank. Let me run you through it. 12. Cheapest: Get standalone insurance from £40/yr for phones under 3yrs old. While exact prices vary by handset, we found these four providers are usually the cheapest, which cover you for worldwide loss, theft, accidental and liquid damage, and mechanical breakdown. See our mobile phone insurance guide for more, but in brief... Speed: Handsets usually replaced within a week, assuming you send in all the info and proof on time.  Switched On*. 'Ultimate' cover. Insurance2Go*. Plus get £10 off 'Full' cover with code 'MSE10'. Mobile Phone Insurance Direct*. 10% off 'Premium' cover when you use the code 'INSURE10'. Love It Cover It*. Code 'SAVE10' gets 10% off 'Premium' cover. If your SIM card has gone too, you'll need to contact the network to tell it, and get it to block the SIM and send you a new one with same phone number.  13. Fastest: Your network's cover, costs up to £180/yr. Here, handsets can arrive the next working day, but you can mainly only cover new phones. Insuring, say, an iPhone 17 costs £144 to £180. See network insurance. 14. Best for couples/families: A year or more FREE if you'll switch bank. Have multiple people in the household with phones? With a packaged bank account, you pay a monthly fee, and loads of decent-quality insurance is thrown in (do register phones if possible, as it can speed up claims) - often far cheaper than separate policies. Plus, currently many of these pay switchers a sign-up bonus, which can effectively cover the cost for the first year or so. Full info in Top packaged bank accounts but in brief... Speed: Handsets usually replaced within a week assuming you send in all the info and proof on time.  Santander Edge Explorer*. FREE £200 for switchers, costs £17/mth. Covers all handsets in household. Plus worldwide family travel insurance and UK & Europe breakdown cover.  - 1% cashback (max £10/mth) on household bills paid by DD - 1% (max £10/mth) on grocery, travel & fuel debit card spending. Club Lloyds Silver. FREE £250 for switchers costs £11.50/mth. Only covers policyholder's handset (so two if joint account). Plus European family travel insurance, UK breakdown cover. Nationwide FlexPlus. FREE £175 for switchers, costs £18/mth. Covers all handsets in household. Plus worldwide family travel insurance and UK & Europe breakdown cover. Far more options in the Top packaged bank accounts guide. 15.The E.T. option: Phone, home insurance. Contents insurance often covers phones for fire or theft, but many let you pay extra for cover away from home. Yet a claim could push up renewal costs, and often replacements/payouts aren't quick. Use our Compare+ Home Insurance tool to find your cheapest policy. 16. The DIY option: Self-insure, especially good for lower-cost handsets. You could also try self-insuring, which is great for those who trust themselves not to lose or break their phone, or have a lower-value model. It's simply where you pay the money into a savings account to cover the costs if you had to shell out for a new handset. And, protect your handset & data from theft This is about protecting your pocket if your phone does get stolen. There's detailed help in our 16 tips to protect your phone from thieves, but here are key highlights... 17. Stop your phone showing security texts when it's locked. It's common for banks and others to send notifications or security codes to your phone, and these can show on your screen when your phone's locked - not good if your phone's stolen. So turn off 'preview notifications', so a thief would need to be logged into your phone to get any security codes. Beware 'shoulder surfing'. This involves thieves lingering around pedestrians, keeping an eye out for the phone's Personal Identification Number (PIN) before snatching it or nabbing it from you when it's unlocked. And if possible, use headphones. If talking, use headphones, so your handset can be in your pocket, making it less visible and tougher to grab. It also means your private conversations are less likely to be overheard. I'll still never forget sitting next to someone in a café who called his bank on speakerphone, giving his password details, and asking for his account balance for all to hear. 18. Dial a quick code to save your phone's unique ID number - the police will request this. To access it, dial this quick code, then screen grab your phone's unique IMEI number (an image of one is on the right). This can then be used by the network to block or identify a phone if it's been stolen. 19. Set up 'Find My Phone' and similar tracking apps so you can locate your mobile or remotely wipe all info. You need to set up tracking apps on your device, such as Apple's Find My or Samsung's SmartThings Find, BEFORE your phone gets stolen to take advantage of all its features, which add a significant layer of protection to your phone's security. As well as enabling you to locate your mobile, most tracking apps also have a number of additional features to protect you if it's unrecoverable. These allow you to: - Mark your phone as lost/stolen, so payments are suspended. - Remotely wipe all the data from your phone. - Remotely lock your phone (Android devices only). 20. Enable biometrics for your phone and banking apps. So use fingerprint or face ID for both. If not, and you're a PIN code person, use different PIN codes, especially for all your financial apps. 21. Turn on 'stolen protection' to detect and protect if your phone's nicked. This works a little differently depending on the operating system you're on (see Apple help and Android help for how to do this), but the idea's the same - there's a setting you can turn on that either locks your phone or disables certain features (such as your digital wallet) if the phone thinks it's been stolen.

 

 

DON'T believe the fake 'Martin Lewis' or 'MSE' ads Lots of scam ads litter social media and even newspaper websites - some of these lie that we or Martin promote Bitcoin, binary trading etc. See Fake ads warning.

 

 

 

Won't last long! Top 1yr 4.55% savings FIX (with access!) Martin: 'If predictions are right, this is likely the last over 4.5% fixed-rate savings that'll be offered in 2026, and maybe some of 2027 too. If you want a safe bet, it's worth considering' Last week, the Marcus (part of Goldman Sachs) 4.55% 1yr fix* launched, and it is by far the top fixed-rate savings on the market. The rate is locked in for a year, but unusually for a savings fix, your money isn't. If you need to withdraw early, you can close the account at the cost of up to 90 days' interest, a good get-out-of-jail-nearly-free card. No surprise, it's been hugely popular. Yet as fix providers often have a target amount to raise (then they end it), we doubt this'll last much longer, so we wanted to give you Martin's analysis, then full savings & ISA best buys. Martin: 'This fix is an outlier - in a good way!' It smashes the next highest 1yr fix at 4.27%. So why has Marcus* (ie Goldman Sachs), a big name, launched a deal that not only beats other fixes, but achieves the recently rare feat of beating the top easy access savings too? The Bank of England base rate dropped from 4% to 3.75% last month, and markets believe that's just the start, eg analysts Capital Economics predict three more cuts in 2026, leaving us at 3% by year-end. So, you'd expect new fix rates to drop before easy-access, as the rate new fixes are offered at tends to move in anticipation of cuts over that fix's period, while easy-access move after base rate cuts. Hence Marcus is an anomaly. So, my best guess (and it really is a guess) is simply that someone at Marcus head office looked at its internal targets and said 'buy more customers' and, as it has deep pockets, it's launched a rate to blow others out of the water, in order to bring in new savers, in the hope of brand-building and cross-selling them other future services.  All that's side-chat though. The practicals are it's a best-buy, and if you're unlikely to need to access some of your savings over the next year, grab it. If the market's interest rate predictions come true, unless another firm does something weird, there's a decent chance we won't see a 1yr fix this high for the rest of 2026 and possibly early 2027 too. The only lump-sum deals that could beat it are cash ISAs for those relatively few people who will pay tax on savings (see below), but haven't used their 2025/26 ISA allowance yet... All accounts listed are quoted as AER interest, and all have the full UK £120,000 savings safety protection. The top easy-access savings pays 4.5% but will likely fall if the base rate is cut. These are bog-standard accounts you can put money in to and take money out of when you like. So, if you're earning a lot less on existing savings, ditch and switch! All rates are variable, so will likely move with UK base rate changes, and can move with providers' whims (though those with bonuses effectively give you a minimum rate guarantee for a time). - Top easy-access savings: Chase (part of JPMorgan) pays 4.5%* (min £1) though only newbies get this rate as it includes a 1yr 2.25% newbie bonus. You'll need to open Chase's current account to access this, but you don't need to switch to it and it just does an ID, not a credit, check so anyone can get it - that gets you a top overseas debit card too. The top straight, open-to-all rate is Spring's (part of Paragon) 4.11% (min £10). Full info in Top savings. - Top easy-access cash ISA: If you pay tax on savings (see how savings tax works) and haven't used up this year's ISA allowance, Trading 212 pays 4.33%* (min £1, max £20k/yr), though again 0.73% of this is a bonus for newbies, and the rate on money you're transferring in from previous tax years is 3.6%. The top straight, open-to-all rate is Charter Savings' 4.09% (min £1, max £20k/yr). Full info in Top cash ISAs. Top fixes. The big advantage of a fixed rate is the rate is guaranteed. So, even if interest rates drop, your rate won't during the fix period. Normally, the money is locked away but with both Marcus, and all fixed cash ISAs, you can close the account during the fix period to withdraw money, though you will pay an interest penalty to do so. See our full list of Top fixed savings, and Top fixed cash ISAs for full info but in brief... - 1yr fixes: Marcus 4.55% AER* (min £1), Shawbrook Bank 4.27% AER (min £1k). - 1yr cash ISA fixes: Shawbrook Bank 4.14% AER (min £1k), Coventry Building Society 4.13% AER (min £1). - 2yr fixes: Shawbrook Bank 4.18% AER (min £1k), Birmingham Bank 4.18% AER (min £5k). - 2yr cash ISA fixes: Cynergy Bank 4.1% AER (min £500), Coventry Building Society 4.06% AER (min £1). - Top longer fixes: 3yrs Birmingham Bank 4.17% AER (min £5k), 5yrs Hampshire Trust Bank 4.27% AER (min £1). - Top longer cash ISA fixes: 3yrs Cynergy Bank 4.15% AER (min £500), 5yrs Shawbrook Bank 4.17% AER (min £1k) How long should I fix for?  Marcus aside, fixed rates are pretty even right now regardless of length, so if you want to save and you can comfortably lock money away, and you strongly value certainty, then fixing - and fixing for longer - is a good option. You don't have to put all your money in one place, you can hedge your bets with several fixes of different lengths.  Then again, if you do have money you can lock away for 5+yrs, and you already have a cash emergency fund, it's really worth considering investing. Over a longer time period, on the balance of probability, a good diverse array of assets (so tracker funds covering big indexes like S&P 500 or global trackers) should significantly outperform savings. See Martin's 'Investing for beginners' special ITV show for where to start.  Can you boost interest further? Some specialised options pay even more... - 50% bonus for many on Universal Credit or Tax Credits. See Help to Save. - 25% bonus for first-time buyers aged 18 to 39. See Top Lifetime ISAs. - Earn up to 7.5% if you can save monthly. See Regular savings. - Prefer to invest? Higher returns, but more risk. See Stocks & shares ISAs.

 

£55 off groceries code if you've never shopped online at Asda. 23,000 available. As long as you spend £60+ each time, you get £20 off your first shop, £10 off your 2nd & 3rd, and £15 off your 4th. Asda code FREE £30 just for spending £5. Trading212 newbies who sign up for its prepaid spending card* via this link get a free £30 for making one £5+ payment on it within 14 days. It gives perfect exchange rates on spending abroad, plus 0.5% spending cashback at home and abroad (max £15/mth) - temporarily boosted to 1.5% till 28 Feb. To get the card, you need to first open a Trading212 Invest account. See Top cards for spending abroad for those that give better cashback, though none give £30 free. Cheapest mortgage fixes 3.5% - lock in now or wait? As you'll see in our Mortgage best buy comparison, rates are down, so we asked mortgage brokers: is it time to lock in? Martin: 'Five life lessons I wish I'd been told when I was younger.' Read Martin's 5 life lessons blog. Amazon 1-tap check for £5 off £15+. 18,000 were available, but it won't tell us how many are left, so check quick. 'I've made £3,840 switching banks' - and with six willing to pay up to £250, now's a great time. Last week we told you about the top-paying FREE cash bank switch deals and this Success of the Week email from Chris shows just how lucrative it can be... "I'm a big fan of what you do & love free cash! I was checking my famous (in my household) spreadsheet to figure out if I can get another switching deal and realised that since 2010 I've made £3,840 in switch rewards. I'm amazed when I tell people to do this because I find it very easy but so many say 'I can't be bothered'." See Multi-bank switch tips. £63 summer bulb bundle £12 delivered. MSE Blagged. 200 to plant now for summer. Thompson & Morgan Video: 'Martin, what'd you prioritise? Will / Power of Attorney or Tax / Pensions / Inheritance?' Watch Martin's 2min priorities answer via his YouTube channel (do subscribe), taken from his ITVX shows. New. Fast 300Mb broadband, Sky TV, Netflix & Discovery+ '£34/mth'. Sky newbies can get its 300Mb broadband, digital line & Sky Stream TV including Netflix (with ads), Discovery+ and Sky Atlantic for £35/mth (that's less than many are paying for slower broadband alone), plus you'll be emailed a £30 prepaid Mastercard within 4mths of signing up (do check your spam box). Factor that in and it's equivalent to £33.75/mth over the 2yr contract. The deal's accessible to 75% UK homes. Want other options? Use our full broadband comparison. Martin 90sec video: 'Employee? Check your tax code NOW (it could cost you £100s). Watch Martin's 90-sec explainer via his YouTube channel (do subscribe), taken from his Tax Help Special pod... New Martin pod. Everything you ever wanted to know about tax, but were afraid to ask. Tax help podcast: Inheritance tax, making tax digital, capital gains, savings & more in time for the tax return deadline (& a bit of Traitors, too). All in Martin's main podcast this week. Listen via BBC Sounds | Apple | Spotify etc. Question Time pod. At last, I'm debt-free, what now? Do I need pay NI if I want to retire early? Overpay my mortgage or invest? In Martin's Question Time podcast, you can ask whatever you like (within reason) and many do. Listen via BBC Sounds | Apple | Spotify etc. PS from Martin: My eyes had tears listening to 'At last I'm debt-free', it's worth anyone in debt having a listen.

 

 

BLAGGED FOR MSE - Samsung Galaxy S25 256GB '£28/mth' Ends Tue 27 Mar - £63 summer bulb bundle for £12 10,000 available - Vision Express 25% off code Ends 1 Mar 2026	DID YOU MISS? - Boosted January sales: M&S up to 70% off & more - Martin: 'Don't trust disgraceful council websites' - Rare £50 off UK Center Parcs code (no min spend) - Get 16 successive days off by taking eight days' annual leave - 'I got a FREE Franco Manca pizza for running' - you can too

 

 

Are you, or do you know, a disabled or ill State Pensioner? You may be due £3,800+ a year 'Attendance Allowance' to help with daily living. It's NOT means-tested, so income's irrelevant. Up to 1m eligible people may be missing out 'My brother-in-law gets £5k a year after I claimed AA for him!' For many older people who are ill or facing mental or physical disability, life doesn't just get tougher, it gets costlier. And these conditions can often make it harder to find out what help's available. Two years ago we launched our Attendance Allowance (AA) guide and awareness campaign, and successes have flooded in since. Yet it remains massively underclaimed, with potentially up to a million eligible pensioners missing out (source: Policy in Practice). So whether it's you or someone close who may qualify, take 2 mins to read this. Let's start with some inspiration... Carol emailed: 'Hi Martin, I have successfully claimed AA for my brother-in-law who has zero mobility due to multiple health issues, he will get the higher rate allowance of £110.40/wk, so total of over £5k per year. Additionally, they are backdating the claim to when I initially sent the form to DWP, so just over £1,000 backpay. Thank you and your team for all the great information you provide.' AA is for those of State Pension age (ie, 66 or older) who need some daily help with living (it's called Pension Age Disability Payment in Scot). This isn't about specific conditions. It's about the impact of a mental or physical disability/illness on you. You must've needed either help or supervision for six consecutive months (even if you didn't get it). It's common for those with Parkinson's, dementia, terminal illness, blindness, learning difficulties and more. - Help means: Assistance with daily living / bodily functions, eg, washing and eating, so even if you don't think of yourself as disabled, you may be eligible - it's worth clicking the link to read the detailed definitions. - Supervision means: Someone to watch you to avoid danger to yourself or others. Want to help someone else claim it? You can apply on someone's behalf too. If you're looking after someone who meets the criteria, you can apply for them as long as they can sign the form (or you've Power of Attorney to sign).   It's NOT means-tested, the minimum is currently worth £73.90 a week - that's £3,842 a year. Eligibility is dependent on need, not finances. So if you need the help, you can get it. - Need help during the day OR night? You get the LOWER rate of £73.90/wk (£3,842/yr) rising to £76.60 in April. - Need help during the day AND night? You get the HIGHER rate of £110.40/wk (£5,740/yr) rising to £114.60 in April. - Have less than 12 months to live? You get the HIGHER rate of £110.40/wk (£5,740/yr) rising to £114.60 in April.   How you apply matters... You can apply by filling out an online form or calling up and getting a form sent to you. When applying, do have your National Insurance number, GP prescriptions and hospital records handy, and fill in the form with as much detail as possible. We've further detail in ⁠how to apply. Unless you're confident filling in long forms online and will do it in one go (there's no save & come back later function), it's best to call up and request an application form, as then as long as you fill it in within a reasonable time, claims are backdated to the day you requested the form, not to when it was submitted. Applying can be tricky... do it carefully. If you're struggling, there are helplines available and charities that will help you for free, see organisations that can help. You won't usually need to attend an assessment to get it, though it can happen. Best is to read our full help to apply for Attendance Allowance, including how to appeal if rejected. Please also do let us know how you get on. Warning. Do you get Personal Independence Payment, Adult Disability Payment or Disability Living Allowance? These are usually worth as much as, and often more than, Attendance Allowance, and you can't claim both. See our AA clashing benefits help and, if unsure, get free benefits adviser help before doing anything. Attendance Allowance acceptance means you may be due £1,000s of other help too. AA is often the key to eligibility, or an indicator you may be due other help, including... - YOU WILL qualify for a Disabled Person's Railcard. It costs £20 for 1 year (or £54 for 3 years), and gets you & a companion 1/3 off rail travel. - YOU MAY be accepted for a blue badge to park in places others can't, often for free, but it's council-by-council. - YOU MAY get Council Tax help via the Severe Mental Impairment (SMI) discount, which can mean 25% off for some or 100% off for those who live alone (or with someone else with an SMI). - HAVE A CARER? If someone close to you looks after you unpaid for 20 to 35 hours a week, your AA may mean they get Carer's Credit. If they do over 35 hours a week on low pay, then they may get paid Carer's Allowance, though how this interacts with AA is complex - see Carer's Allowance with Attendance Allowance help. - LOW INCOME? You may also get up to £83/wk extra Pension Credit, or up to £423/mth extra Universal Credit. - LIVE-IN CARER? If you live with someone who cares for you, you may be entitled to a 25% or 50% Council Tax discount.

 

Ends Fri. Argos Lego codes £10 off £50, up to £50 off £200. 800+ items included. Lego codes Vision Express 25% off contacts, glasses & prescription sunnies code. MSE Blagged. Includes designer brands such as Gucci, Tom Ford & Prada. Vision Express code. Martin: 'Are you in a functional relationship with your debt? Three questions to find out...' And if not, where to get help. Watch Martin's 3min explainer via his YouTube channel (do subscribe), courtesy of This Morning. £176 beauty £55: Elemis, Sol de Janeiro, Color Wow & more. 9 items, eg face mask, tan. Lookfantastic Plans for a Water Ombudsman and new regulator confirmed - but no change on social tariffs. There's a bag of improvements on the financial side of water bills, but Martin says the lack of a national social tariff is a 'mistake' - he's suggested a halfway house compromise to the Government. See Water bills shake-up. Haggled with Sky, BT, the AA or others in the last six months? Did you succeed? Haggling can land big savings on insurance, broadband, breakdown cover, plus more. Every 6mths, we try to gauge the success rates of those who have done it. If you've got cheaper prices, extra goods or better deals, please vote in this week's haggling poll. The Big Energy Switch is coming back (we hope)! Some cheaper-than-the-cheapest tariffs (if suppliers play ball), but to get it you'll need the email you'll use to be signed up to Cheap Energy Club or this email by 11.59pm Mon 26 Jan.

 

 

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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS 0% balance transfers Longest definite 0%: Barclaycard (check eligibility) 36mths 0% + possible £25, 3.45% fee, 24.9% rep APR interest No-fee 0%: Barclaycard (check eligibility) up to 14mths 0%, 24.9% rep APR Best bank accounts Free £250 + perks: Club Lloyds  Free £200 + 1% bills cashback: Santander Edge Free £175 + top service: First Direct 1st Account Top energy deals Try our whole-of-market Cheap Energy Club Insurance Car: Use our Compare+ Car Insurance tool Home: Use our Compare+ Home Insurance tool Cheap loans £5,000 to £7,499: M&S Bank (check eligibility), 6.9% rep APR £7,500 to £15,000: M&S Bank (check eligibility), 5.7% rep APR Top savings accounts Top easy-access savings: Chase 4.5%, min £1 Top easy-access ISA: Trading 212 4.33%, min £1 Top one-year fix: Marcus (by Goldman Sachs) 4.55%, min £1 Broadband top picks Fast fibre (100Mb+): Sky '£21.67/mth' Superfast fibre (500Mb+): Vodafone '£25.25/mth' On Universal Credit or similar? Check all discounted social tariffs Cheap Sims 4GB to 9GB data: Lebara, '£2.68/mth' for 5GB 31GB+ data: Lebara, '£3.47/mth' for 35GB

 

THIS WEEK'S POLL Have you haggled with Sky, BT, the AA or any others in the last six months? Did you succeed? Whether it's digital TV, broadband, breakdown cover or car insurance, haggling can net you huge savings on all kinds of different products. And every six months, we try to gauge the success rates of those who have done it. So, have you nabbed cheaper prices, extra goods or better deals? Let us know how successful you've been in this week's poll.

 

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA Should I lend £20,000 to my in-debt in-laws and risk not getting it back? My in-laws have a mountain of debt in mortgages on three properties. My father-in-law quit his well-paid job after burning out, the bills piled up and now they're skint. I've inherited some money, and my wife wants me to lend her parents £20,000 to see them through selling their house. But we were going to use that money to buy our own home - we live in one of their properties and have been covering the mortgage there. And as they don't expect to make a profit on the sale of their home, it wouldn't be so much a loan as a grant. Am I wrong for thinking we shouldn't bankroll them given their poor financial and life decisions? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I risk lending £20,000 to my in-debt in-laws? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma (MMD) | View past MMDs

 

Quick deals - Disney+: Up to £15 off three months - National Running Show: 1,000 FREE tix (B'ham, 31 Jan-1 Feb) - National Express: 25%-50% off Jan-May travel - Creams: £1 coffee before 2pm weekdays (normally £3.50) - Build It Live: 1,000 FREE tickets (Kent, 21 & 22 Feb) Top January restaurant deals - Pizza Express: 2for1 for £1 - Harvester: 50% off mains - Ikea: Selected meals 99p - The Ivy: Two courses for £19 - Bella Italia: £5 pasta

 

 

MARTIN'S BLOG - 'Five life lessons I wish I'd been told when I was younger'	MSE TEAM BLOG - MSE Forum highlights: cheques, coffee & cruises

 

 

MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 21 JAN ONWARDS) Thu 22 Jan - Ask Martin Lewis, BBC Radio 5 Live, midday Tue 27 Jan - This Morning, ITV1, 10am Tue 27 Jan - The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, ITV1, 7.15pm

 

 

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